The Down Low: There’s nothing particularly great about a frog. Think about it…they’re slimy, they’ve got eyes that seem too big for their head, they spend most of their lives in the mud, and their legs can usually be found on the buffet menu of some of the sketchier Chinese restaurants in town. And yet, there’s something about seeing that weird creature on a bomber of beer that gets us excited every time we’re out shopping for something new. Because what’s inside that bottle is anything but something you don’t want to touch…

It all starts with B.O.R.I.S. the Oatmeal Crusher, an Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout that serves as the backbone for a brewery that pumps out perhaps more great stouts than any other that we’ve ever seen. They have variations that are whiskey barrel aged, coffee bean-infused, and brewed with darker and richer malts. If you’re willing to drop a little more dough, they even have one that’s been aged in Pappy Van Winkle barrels (just don’t let them see your jaw hit the floor when you see the $55 price tag). The B.O.R.I.S. gave way to the D.O.R.I.S., a Double Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout, and then following the passage of the higher ABV law in Ohio last year, the Triple Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout known as T.O.R.I.S. Think you’ve had a heavy stout before? Think again. Pour yourself a glass of this stuff and get your bread knife ready, cause you’re about to have a second helping of dinner.

Hoppin’ Frog has only been around since 2006, and yet their presence in the craft beer industry is widespread enough to have landed them in 15 foreign countries and 19 states. They’ve got awards aplenty, racking them up by means of 22 different brews that cover all the beer bases. Founder Fred Karm never seems to run out of new ideas when it comes to making another awesome beer that immediately stacks up next to the best stouts on the shelf, simultaneously convincing you that $15 for 22 ounces is a bargain indeed.

The food menu in the tasting room isn’t large, but it is tasty. Appetizers, sausage and cheese plates, and specialties like pork belly pair perfectly with their array of beers, and let’s face it…you aren’t going for the food anyway. If you are, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Tuesday evenings at the tasting room are special nights, offering patrons a chance to try their favorite Hoppin’ Frog beers infused with everything from Skittles to Reese’s Puffs to bacon to Twinkies, and everything else in between. Many weekends at the brewery are opportunities to purchase their new releases in bottles, or to at least try them on draft if bottles aren’t available. That is, if you can find the place…just punch in the address in your GPS and smile at where it takes you. And the best part is that there’s always something new to try, no matter how many times you return. Their beer menu for vintage beer purchases seems to have no boundaries, and you never know what you’ll be leaving with (i.e. an 8 year old bottle of cellar aged B.O.R.I.S.?? We’re guilty of that purchase ourselves).

Take our word for it. Hoppin’ Frog beer is truly something to behold, and even something better to consume. It’s one of our 5 favorite breweries of all time, and with an accolade list as long as the beer menu itself, we’re clearly not the only ones that hold them in such high regard. Who knows? Maybe you’ll never look at a frog the same way again…

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One thought on “Hoppin’ Frog Brewery”

philvujaMay 31, 2017 / 5:07 pm

This place sucks to get to location-wise, but it has to be my #1 brewery. Yes, better than Jackie Os, Hill Farmstead, Hoof, Fat Heads etc. Nothing tops a BA stout, and Hoppin Frog has the best, and so many variations. not to mention some killer IPAs. What doesn’t make sense to me is how they are so readily accessible. Either way thats fine because it means more for me. But so so so so so so underrated.